Nigeria

Maryam Babangida, The End of a Chapter

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By Adeola Aderounmu

Maryam was 61 when she finally succumbed to the cold hands of death. She battled with ovarian cancer for several years.

Maryam for the record was the wife of one of Nigeria’s former evil ruler-Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida. Babangida is famous for plotting coups and he ruled Nigeria for 8 wasteful years (1986-1993).

Babangida stole more than 12 billion dollars during the gulf war alone. It is not known how much he stole in 8 years of tyranny. Maryam Babangida was obviously part of the evil reign of her husband.

Babangida could probably learn a lesson from the death of his wife and give us back our money. Life is transient and nobody will leave this world alive!

The money stolen by the Babangidas was meant for millions of Nigerians who are now living in extreme poverty and hopelessness. Meanwhile the Babangidas have been living large and far beyond the means of their military father.

There are a lots of online responses to the death of Maryam and many of them have not shown any sort of sympathy to the Babangida family. This ia largely because they consider Maryam to just be one person like anyone of us. Therefore her death is a childs’play compared to the effects that the rule of her husband had on the nation.

Babangida is reputed to have institutionalise corruption in Nigeria. his greatest evil against Nigeria and Nigerians was that he oversaw the annulment of the June 12 1993 elections. That election remained the only peaceful, free and fair election in the history of Nigeria.

But Babangida annulled that election that would have brought MKO Abiola to power as the president. MKO was killed later in detention by the Nigerian military and probably with the help of some American collaboration. Abiola died while receiving visitors sent by Bill Clinton. One question the US has not been able to address…what roles did the American entourage play in the death of Nigeria’s legitimate president?

Anyway, Babangida annulled the election/ results and created confusion that resulted to the deaths of hundreds of Nigerians in the aftermath as riots broke out nationwide.

It is not uncommon for Nigerian politicians to pay homage to Babangida. This is because the man stole Nigeria’s money like no other; he allowed corrupt people like him to occupy key offices and indeed many useless politicians in Nigeria owe their wealth and breakthroughs to Babangida. This is why the Minna home of the Babangida has become a point of rally for evil and political absurdities.

So don’t be surprise by the eulogies that will come from the political circle to honour Maryam and don’t be surprised that in the next few months from today-all roads lead to Minna.
This is Nigeria, the land of bad politics and tyranny.

Maryam is dead. Is there anything that she would have changed if we could turn back the hand of time? What were her last wishes? Definitely nothing close to evil desire of looting money!

Are there any lessons for our greedy politicians about the essence of life? Is Babangida going to give back to the Nigerian people the money he stole or would he continue to live above the law?

What will happen in Nigeria or to Nigerians that will lead to the re-emergence of good?

Judgment is coming to town and those who have eyes, let them see. Those who have ears let them hear. Yar Adua is wasting away in Saudi Arabia. There will be no greater judgment than the “feedback-evil” befalling those who knew the right thing but ended up doing the wrong thing.

Those who are still looting and doing one little thing or the other that adds up to destroy Nigeria will be rewarded accordingly while they are alive and before our very eyes.

As I close this blog entry I am completely indifferent to the passage of Maryam. If her husband and the rest of the evil rulers in Nigeria have done what they ought to do, she would have been in a Nigerian hospital rather than an American hospital. Now that Yar Adua is in Saudi Arabian hospital, let it be known that judgement may have come to town.

Death is certain, life and power are transient.

Live and let’s live..!

Merry Christmas to my Nigerian brothers and sisters

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Adeola Aderounmu

I am using this opportunity to wish my Nigerian friends, brothers and sisters a wonderful celebration. I know that fuel is scarce (it has become a biennial event, and invariably a december constant) but I know that one way or the other, many of you will find the course to be thankful and joyous.

Fuel scarcity is not the only problem. There are loads of them including lack of electricity added to the burdens of poverty. I am still convinced that the celebrations will be joyous because there is an atmosphere of happiness when we meet for the yuletide, at home, in churces and other places.

When this season is over let us not forget our common problems epitomised by very corrupt government and extremely bad leadership. We must come out stronger in 2010 to rescue this failing country.

Nigeria is a blessed country, It is up to us to ensure that we spread the goodness by ensuring that we get things right in our politics, attitude and general conducts. The future of Nigeria is in our hands. Let’s try to get it right as soon as possible so that our children and children’s children can have a place to call home.

Merry Christmas Nigeria..!

Yar Adua is probably not coming back…Can we move on Please?

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Adeola Aderounmu

Gone for more than 3 weeks! I don’t think Yar Adua is coming back to Aso rock, a place he illegally and forcefully inherited. If we had built a reputable hospital in Nigeria in all the 10 years he wasted as a top man perhaps the story would have been different. 8 years as a governor and 2 years as a fake president, all wasted just like that!

Life and Power remain transient..!

If we had a well equipped hospital in Nigeria, he would have been in our domain and we would have known firsthand what is going on with him. But now he is hidden, probably enclosed and we have no clue what is going on.

Based on the secrecy of his condition and with no official information from anywhere, it is better to assume that he is not coming back.

Nigerian Politicians based on their wickedness, selfishness and evil ways have refused to follow the constitution. This is so not happening in the year 2009 going to 2010. Where are these people from? In what Age are they living in? I’m talking about Nigerian Politicians, who have become the most ridiculous people on earth.

Is there a Chief Justice of the Federation somewhere? Is there any functional National Assembly in Nigeria? Is there any constitution at all to behold?

Or are we now being ruled by the ex-convict who became a governor in Delta State? Or his lawyer, the AG who is ridiculously shameless? Who is in charge of this prevalent nonsense?

Can we move on please?

Goodluck Jonathan was the VP imposed on us. Please give him to us with all his imperfections and stains. We will take it, even if to remove this ridicule from our existence for a short period-until 2011.

I have written elsewhere that Jonathan should become the president of Nigeria but that we should NEVER AGAIN in our lives allow the kind of process that gave rise to him and Yar Adua. Our votes were not counted in the most evil selection process in Nigeria’s history.

It’s time to move on. The truth will soon be known to all and by that time the shame of Nigerian politicians would have magnified. They are liars now, what will they be when the whole situation-the bigger picture is revealed?

The lazy lawmakers should stop looting and stealing. For once let them do something right. Move this country forward, at least by one step, even if it’s an ant-step.

Please and please, stop this national shame and nonsense.

Let Yar Adua be! Even if a miracle brings him back, he is definitely not going to be fit for that game of squash let alone head a village meeting. He would need rest.

We are talking about 150m other people being held stagnant. Fuel scarcity, insecurity, unemployment, school problems and so on, these things are getting worse. Workers are being laid off, the economy is not improving and for 3 weeks we have no direction forward. Does this mean that when Yar Adua was there he was just a figure-head or what? Are there no functions for the number 1 top post in Nigeria? Because it is always mischievously acquired or why?

I can’t shout more than this please…
The time to move on is here.

Enough of this rubbish please.

Still on Bleak Christmas in Nigeria

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Adeola Aderounmu

During the week I reported about this year’s bleak Christmas in Nigeria. The Nigerian Guardian Newspaper is reporting this morning that 1 500 people have been sacked by the Intercontinental Banks.

The bank has over 300 branches in Nigeria and approximately 5 person/ bank received letters of disengagement, as reported by the Guardian Newspaper’s correspondent Muyiwa Adeyemi.

The compensation given is 3 months basic salary irrespective of how long they have worked for the bank. Yea, welcome to Nigeria, the land of injustice.

After these 3 months, what are these workers supposed to do? One thousand five hundred..! How many households are we talking about? How many children are going to be affected?

Nigeria has no social security program for the unemployed. Unemployment is already rife and the effects on social vices cannot be over emphasized.

UBA-The United Bank for Africa also laid off 2 000 of its work force. This compounds the already overloaded unemployment market for which no reliable statistics are available. But millions of Nigerians lack gainful employment and many graduates are using their skills mostly in informal jobs.

Things are really getting worse based on realities that we can see and experience. This is one of the reasons why it is so frustrating so see the negative effects of governance in Nigeria. Corruption, greediness, nepotism, tribalism and all sorts of vices have denied us of the type of growth and development that we should actually be experiencing.

In all of these the politicians are getting richer. They make loads of money that they do not deserve, their actions do not improve the standards of our lives and they continue to do things that are not only irritating but also invariably extremely inimical to progress. They loot, steal, plunder and sniff everywhere for ways to get richer and richer while the masses are left with the mess from their misdemeanours.

This is Christmas season and for these people who have been thrown out of jobs without any form of security, you can imagine the impact on their psychological and social wellbeing. It is not going to be easy as they must now desperately seek ways to put food on the table for their families and dependent relations. I wish them well, now and always

Merry Christmas Nigeria..!

UPDATE: Oceanic Bank has also sacked 1 500, as at Dec 21 2009.

Nigerian Judiciary, A citadel of Corrupt Minds

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Adeola Aderounmu

When I was a little boy I was told that lawyers are liars. It was a joke but it stuck. I was determined never to become a lawyer but I do admire them.

Almost everything institution in Nigeria is corrupt and upside down. All our democratic institutions that should be protecting the rights of citizens and promoting justice and fairness are all corrupt. Nigeria is a peculiar country.

The thing is, when something fundamental goes wrong, you cannot just point at the person concerned. You have to look at the institution that he or she belongs to and give a summative judgement.

That is why I have the title covering the Nigerian Judiciary. I tried to trust this institution but over the years it has contributed to the destruction of the democratic pillars that it ought to be building. The best way to describe the Nigerian Judiciary is lukewarm. It is very inconsistent and highly fallible.

This week one of Nigeria’s most notorious politicians James Ibori was cleared of 170 charges of corruption – involving the laundering of millions of dollars. The trial judge Justice Marcel Awokulehin was reportedly appointed by Ibori himself! You see, this is why I’ve always said that Nigeria is the most corrupt country in the world and I will stand by this any day any time, UNTIL I see changes.

No matter how corrupt other countries are, you will never hear of an accused person appointing his own judge! This can only happen in Nigeria. To me the most corrupt people in this world are living in Nigeria..! I mean the outcome of this case became predictable several weeks ago.

So the Nigerian Judiciary has dragged itself into disrepute-stinking, useless institution that should never be trusted. The EFCC-Nigerian anticorruption agency said it will appeal the judgement. Where were they when that hungry judge Awokulehin was hand-picked by Ibori? How much money did Ibori give to this shameless judge? Why did they ignore all the warning signals issued by bloggers and online reporters until the case went as predicted. Yes bloggers and online reporters because the Nigerian media is totally enveloped in fear of “what to report or not”.

It is an open secret that Ibori sponsored Yar Adua’s illegitimate presidency. So it is easy to see that the Nigerian government is in support of this judgement. The AG of Nigeria Michael Aondoakaa has travelled to London several times to defend Mr. Ibori. I cannot believe just how stupid we appear as a country.

The Attorney General of Nigeria went to London to defend a criminal. That makes both of them criminals and the fake president also an accessory to crime. Is this a country? I cannot shout..!

And you don’t even see the end of corruption in sight. It’s just getting deeper and deeper by the day. Ibori stole Delta State to dryness and he is walking free because he gave substantial part of the money to Yar Adua for his campaign. The Nigerian people are suffering no doubt and it is such a helpless situation when you are trapped between the devil and a deep ocean. The only way out is to fight back. When Nigerians do this by protest or revolution, freedom will be earned.

To expect that freedom will be earned by passivity or endless prayers will only add to our burdens. Our lives are in our hands.